Nova Swarm

Hi pilots! This update is mostly things you asked for on the forum, plus some work on the first sectors. Your music, your way In Settings > Audio you can now tick several sets under MUSIC SET and shuffle them together, or build MY PLAYLIST with a preview. And the Cabinet Wonders are bigger again. Better with a controller Menu directions now follow the screen, so you move to what you see instead of

This one adds two new kinds of waves to Arcade, a proper finale for your Nemesis, a tidier results screen and a big round of fixes. Domino Formations A wave flies in as an armored chain linked by gold tethers. Shoot the hopping gold anchor and the whole chain goes down in a cascade of rising pops. Hit the other links and the chain only splits. Take it all down before it escapes for a PERFECT CHAIN

Hi pilots, Here's what has landed since the rival ladder update. A lot of it started with your forum posts, so thank you. Recover your Black Box When your deepest run ends, your ship leaves its flight recorder behind. On a later run, reach that sector and your own burnt wreck drifts in with a beacon, a tracker under the score panel and a voice calling it out. Fly through it to bring it home for a

This update is all about the score chase. From your first point, the score panel shows the next pilot above you, and every pilot you pass is seen and heard. The chase The panel shows the next pilot, the gap to pass them and your live place on the board, even outside the top 100. Pass someone and the panel bursts into flames with their name. Quick passes stay small, while friends, streaks and big m

Hi pilots, I've been working hard to track down and address several issues reported on the forums. A huge shoutout to Tyrian Mollusk for the incredibly detailed testing that helped make many of these fixes possible, and for the amazing amount of feedback you've provided since day one. Your dedication and support have been invaluable to Nova Swarm. You're an absolute legend! Smoother Less stutter i

A few days of builds in one post. Most of it came straight from your forum posts, so thank you for those. Ten new Story Echoes Every stretch of ten sectors now has two Story Echoes instead of one. A new one comes early and shows what the last story chapter set off, and the familiar one later hints at what's coming. Ride out The Crown of Suns, run a Night Hunt, light the anchor, carry The Lantern.

A few days of builds in one post. The big one is a story. The Last Salute Nova Swarm now tells a story in ten short chapters, with a two-minute prologue before your first run. A chapter plays after you clear Sector 10, 20 and so on, and the finale after Sector 100. They're subtitled in eight languages, two presses skip one, and Settings has STORY FILMS set to NEW ONLY, ALWAYS or OFF. Every chapter

I've shipped a lot of builds since the last notes, so here's the batch in one go. Hyperspace between sectors Every sector now opens with a short fly-in: your ship drops out of hyperspace with proper star streaks, and the exit flash hands straight over to the fight. There are ten different shots, you can skip them, and Settings can switch them off. The small stutter some of you noticed at the start

Since Swarm School landed, I've been polishing the moments around the fighting. Here's what's new. Boss Rematch Lose your last life to a boss and you can now rematch it straight away, with the ship, upgrades and lives you had when it arrived. It's practice, so it doesn't count for leaderboards or achievements, and your run's score is already saved. Works in Arcade and Onslaught. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}

Since the October 10 update, I’ve been making space feel more alive—and giving you more reasons to explore it. Here’s what’s changed. Space comes alive The 48 space vistas now have their own animated details: swirling weather and clouds, planetary rings, shimmering auroras, glowing lava, drifting dust, waterfalls, reflections and distant city lights. The universe has a little more life between the

Space just got much prettier Explore 48 distinct space vistas: ocean worlds, frozen horizons, volcanic planets, rings and nebulae. The background changes every sector, then repeats the same 48-world rotation, with the centre kept clear for the action. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/46138701/834b2375f74933966f1e50b152d12308a78dfcfb.png Clearer Tactical choices and Codex Tactical Draft shows current-to-after nu

Thank you for the thoughtful forum reports, recordings and honest notes. This update is now live, and many of its changes came directly from what you showed us. Two new encounters Convoy Breakout. Break both locks to free two fighters who join your wing for a short assault. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/46138701/3d4fc2646b428cf328c11b91813ef8be1beab9ba.png Rival Strike. Rival ships bring breakable guns, an e

Small Quality-of-Life Update Steam Overlay, screenshots and recording now work in Windowed, Borderless and Fullscreen, with improved Borderless behavior and Alt+Tab recovery. Added a Gameplay Background setting with Modern planets and the original Legacy cabinet backdrop. Menu Audio now offers Hangar Track, Playlist and Legacy Ambience. Menu Voices default to Off for new profiles. Added rotating,

Performance Optimization Improved frame pacing during dense combat. Reduced brief stutters when many enemies, projectiles, and hit effects are active. Optimized combat effects while preserving their visual intensity.

Small reliability and clarity update Steam leaderboard submissions now stay pending and retry until Steam confirms them. Improved save-failure and graphics recovery, with clearer on-screen guidance when recovery is possible. Fixed rare extra-life pickups being awarded more than once or failing after a visual error. Respawn protection now also blocks tractor pulls, and protected hits no longer cons

Retuned Space Snake and double-boss fights: clearer attack openings, faster snake fire, and more frequent, tougher, more aggressive babies. Bombs now use Special Fire, including right-click or a deliberate left-button double-tap, instead of ordinary firing. Play remembers your last mode. Mayhem Tactical and Pure are both available in Other Modes, with clearer Hangar selection. Improved rank-achiev